Friday Book Blogger Hop

In the spirit of the Twitter Friday Follow, the Book Blogger Hop is a place just for book bloggers and readers to connect and find new book-related blogs that we may be missing out on! This weekly BOOK PARTY is an awesome opportunity for book bloggers to connect with other book lovers, make new friends, support each other, and generally just share our love of books! It will also give blog readers a chance to find other book blogs that they may not know existed!

Each week, participating blogs are asked questions to post and answer on their websites.

This week’s question –


Which blogger would you most like to meet in real life?

Augh!  This is such a tough question because there are so many blogs out there that I love to follow!!  Hmm...as per usual, I can't just stick to one answer so I'll have to do a shout out to multiple blogs.  It was hard to narrow it down but...I'd like to meet the bloggers from

Su Steph Reads

Kari from A Good Addiction

Everyone from Reading Teen

Everyone from Mundie Moms

Tynga from Tynga's Reviews

Susan from Wastepaper Prose

Everyone from YA Highway and last but certainly not least

Liz from Midnight Blooms (actually we already met at the Smart Chicks Tour but she's so freaking nice!!)

Welcome to the Paperback Princesses! Make yourself at home, take a look around our blog and let us know what you think in the comments section. We would love to hear what you have to say about our posts. We often try to comment on your comments as well so feel free to start a conversation! Since there are two of us running the show, we always have a variety of titles and event postings. Be sure to check out our own personal meme page. Check out Fantastic Fairytales, Let's Hear it for the Boys, In Case you Missed it and a few others. We try to not only focus on new YA books but also great titles from the past.

Shift by Jeri Smith-Ready

Published: May 3, 2011

Publisher: Simon Pulse

Pages: 384

e-copy: Courtesy of Simon and Schuster

Summary: Goodreads

Aura’s life is anything but easy. Her boyfriend, Logan, died, and his slides between ghost and shade have left her reeling. Aura knows he needs her now more than ever. She loves Logan, but she can’t deny her connection with the totally supportive, totally gorgeous Zachary. And she’s not sure that she wants to.



Logan and Zachary will fight to be the one by her side, but Aura needs them both to uncover the mystery of her past—the mystery of the Shift.


As Aura’s search uncovers new truths, she must decide whom to trust with her secrets…and her heart.

OMG, I just finished reading this and I'm still crying.  When I started reading Shift, I had forgotten how much I enjoyed Shade.  I had forgotten how complex the story actually became, and this follow-up did not disappoint me at all.  When Christinabean and I met Ms Smith-Ready last year she mentioned how much she loves music and how it influences her writing.  That is so apparent in this book.  Her love for music shows in her writing and is definitely an integral part of the story.

We are re-introduced  to the characters from Shade, Aura (don't you just love that name?), Logan and Zachary. Logan, whom I wasn't very fond of in the first book, really grew on me this time around.  He seemed to really grow up and fill out as a character.  Zachary was, and still is, a really nice guy.  Although this time around he and Aura make some pretty strange decisions.  The two of them have a hard time avoiding trouble in their search to find out more about the circumstances of their births, and there are a couple of 'what the....' moments, with some interesting and exciting escapades.

What I loved about Shift was that I felt as if I was there, part of the action, hoping that things will work out for the three of them.  Does it? Were my tears happy or sad?  Well you'll have to read it yourself and find out, won't you? There's no cliffhanger ending, but I did like the possibilites for a follow-up. Unfortunately we have to wait until summer 2012 for # 3.  I personally can't wait.

Waiting on Wednesday - Shift by Jeri Smith-Ready (May 4)

Aura’s life is anything but easy. Her boyfriend, Logan, died, and his slides between ghost and shade have left her reeling. Aura knows he needs her now more than ever. She loves Logan, but she can’t deny her connection with the totally supportive, totally gorgeous Zachary. And she’s not sure that she wants to.


Logan and Zachary will fight to be the one by her side, but Aura needs them both to uncover the mystery of her past—the mystery of the Shift.


As Aura’s search uncovers new truths, she must decide whom to trust with her secrets…and her heart.


Check in tomorrow for Curlypow's review of this one.

In Case You Missed It - Armageddon's Children by Terry Brooks

Published: August 2006

Publisher: Del Rey

Pages: 384

Copy: From Library

Summary: Goodreads

Logan Tom is doomed to remember the past and determined to rescue the future. Far behind him lies a boyhood cut violently short by his family's slaughter, when the forces of madness and hate swept our world after decadent excesses led to civilization's downfall. Somewhere ahead of him rests the only chance to beat back the minions of evil that are systematically killing and enslaving the last remnants of humanity. Navigating the scarred and poisoned landscape that once was America and guided by a powerful talisman, Logan has sworn an oath to seek out a remarkable being born of magic, possessed of untold abilities, and destined to lead the final fight against darkness."

Across the country, Angel Perez, herself a survivor of the malevolent death-dealing forces combing the land, has also been chosen for an uncanny mission in the name of her ruined world's salvation. From the devastated streets of Los Angeles, she will journey to find a place - and a people - shrouded in mystery, celebrated in legend, and vital to the cause of humankind...even as a relentless foe follows close behind, bent on her extermination. Meanwhile, in the nearly forsaken city of Seattle, a makeshift family of refugees has carved out a tenuous existence among the street gangs, mutants, and marauders fighting to stay alive against mounting odds - and something unspeakable that has come from the shadows in search of prey." In time, all their paths will cross. Their common purpose will draw them together. Their courage and convictions will be tested and their fates will be decided, as their singular crusade begins: to take back, or lose forever, the only world they have.

Even though this book was marketed for adults, I have always felt that there should have been a campaign to bring it to the attention of YA's.  Armageddon's Children was the first in a trilogy that finished off a series of novels started back in 1977 with The Sword of Shannara.  Armageddon's Children was very different because it bridged the gap between apocalyptic fiction and fantasy.  It tied two story lines together - that from The Word and the Void trilogy which is almost paranormal and the world of Shannara, which is pure fantasy. 

The wonderful thing about this trilogy is that it explained how our world could fall apart and yet produce the possibilities of a world with elves and dwarves and monsters.  Terry Brooks writes beautifully and lyrically and manages to give his characters an amazing depth and believability.  This particular book introduces a group of kids who have gone through amazing hardships and yet have bonded to become a family unit.  Their struggles are almost insurmountable, but they each have amazing strengths and willpower.  You can't help but fall in love with them all. Armageddon's Children was followed by The Elves of Cintra and The Gypsy Morph.

If you try this one out and like it, I'm sure you'll read the trilogy, which will in turn lead you to a about 22 books in the series. If you are interested in finding out more about the whole series, check out Terry Brooks website.

I've been reading these books since 1977, and I'm still lovin' them.  Try them out for size.  Oh, and don't let the blah cover fool you - they are well worth the effort!

Beastly giveaway - And the winner is ......

Thank you so much to everyone who entered our Beastly giveaway during the Fantastic Fairytales Fortnight.  We are delighted to announce that the winner is Alex W, chosen by Random.org  I have already emailed Alex the good news. She will be receiving a movie tie-in copy of the book, sent directly from The Book Depository.

Some of you may remember our giveaway last year that featured more than just a book - well we have another surprise for you - my knitting needles have been busy again.   So keep watching to find out what I've knitted up this time for you to enjoy.

In My Mailbox - May 1

In My Mailbox is a weekly meme hosted by The Story Siren  in which bloggers post about the books they have received for the week.  Books may be won, taken out from the library or bought from a store.

This week was a huge haul for me from the library.  Some of my faves are -

  

I have been swamped lately so I haven't had much time to go out book buying but I did score a ton of books from our book cart...I'm only listing a few though....uh 14 titles for $7 bucks is a bit of a steal eh?

 What are you reading this week?

The Gathering by Kelley Armstrong

Published: April 2010

Publisher: Doubleday

Pages: 359

Copy: From Library

Summary: Goodreads

Sixteen-year-old Maya is just an ordinary teen in an ordinary town. Sure, she doesn't know much about her background - the only thing she really has to cling to is an odd paw-print birthmark on her hip - but she never really put much thought into who her parents were or how she ended up with her adopted parents in this tiny medical-research community on Vancouver Island.

Until now.

Strange things have been happening in this claustrophobic town - from the mountain lions that have been approaching Maya to her best friend's hidden talent for "feeling" out people and situations, to the sexy new bad boy who makes Maya feel . . . . different. Combine that with a few unexplained deaths and a mystery involving Maya's biological parents and it's easy to suspect that this town might have more than its share of skeletons in its closet.


The Gathering was an amazing start to Kelley Armstrong's new trilogy.  Set in the same world as her Women of the Otherworld series and the Darkest Powers trilogy, the background will be familiar to anyone who has read these amazing books.  This time around the main characters live in a small community on Vancouver Island.  While on the one hand it is completely different from what most of us are accustomed to, on the other, it was very real and believable. I felt very comfortable within the setting.

Characters this time around are Maya, Daniel and Rafe. Oh yes, and don't forget the cougars Fitz and  Marv.  I just loved those cats! One of the things I noticed was that Maya seems very comfortable in her own skin.  Yes, there are some questions about her birth mother, but Maya seems well grounded.  Daniel is her best friend and he has some interesting 'feelings' about people - an ability to sense danger.  Is there a hint of something going on between the two of them?  Maybe, but maybe not.  Not enough in this volume that I would class things as a triangle when Rafe enters the picture.  Oohh, Rafe - I really liked him.  Bad boy? Well perhaps, but there's just something about him, that hint of strangeness that makes you want to dig deeper and find out everything you can about him.

There's a wonderful thread of mystery throughout the story that is only partially solved by the end of the book. Also, we never completely find out what Maya's 'secret' is - we can make an extremely good guess, but we don't find out for sure.  The ending is not quite a cliff-hanger, but it does leave you ready for more, which is unfortunate since there won't be any more for a good few months, more's the pity - The Calling is not due out until some time in 2012. Thank you Ms Armstrong for another great read.